Accra: Fidelity Bank Ghana says it is pursuing an integrated approach to supporting young businesses – blending access to capital, technical assistance, and intentional gender inclusion. Speaking during a high-level panel session at the 2025 Ghana-European Union Business Forum in Accra, Mr Kwabena Boateng, Deputy Managing Director in charge of Wholesale Banking, highlighted the bank’s commitment were backed by European partners and development finance institutions (DFIs).
According to Ghana News Agency, the event, themed: ‘Fostering Collaboration Between Ghanaian and European Entrepreneurial Ecosystems – Investing in Young Businesses in Ghana under the EU Global Gateway Strategy’, brought together public and private sector actors focused on advancing enterprise-led growth. Mr Boateng outlined Fidelity Bank’s involvement in the Orange Corners Innovation Fund, a collaboration with the EU and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. This provides up to pound 50,000 in a mix of grants and concessional loans at five per cent interest. The bank manages and disburses the funds, while partners such as Growth Africa offer critical entrepreneurial training and market support.
‘Our commitment is not just financial,’ Mr Boateng said. ‘We work with partners who hand-hold entrepreneurs from idea stage to market, ensuring they build sustainable ventures.’ The bank’s entrepreneurship strategy includes flagship initiatives such as the Orange Summit, a biannual gathering for training and networking. The Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Initiative offers structured funding and mentorship; and the Orange Market, a curated retail platform connecting entrepreneurs with customers.
Beyond EU-backed efforts, Mr Boateng showcased Fidelity Bank’s collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation. He revealed that in the past 18 months, the partnership had delivered GHS 57 million in financing, created 12,000 new jobs, sustained 11,300 others, and supported more than 21,000 smallholder farmers, particularly in the agriculture sector.
Addressing gender-lens investing, Mr Boateng emphasised that Fidelity Bank’s strategy is deliberately tailored to reach women-led businesses. ‘Supporting women has to be intentional,’ he noted. ‘We identify sectors where women thrive and design financing tools that work for them – low-interest loans, reduced collateral requirements, and targeted business support.’ He added that women entrepreneurs often faced high barriers to credit access, which the bank was mitigating by offering concessional interest rates – five per cent under Orange Corners and seven per cent under the Mastercard Foundation programme – and collateral requirements as low as 20 per cent.
Internally, Fidelity Bank has taken steps to entrench gender equality in its operations. Through partnerships with Accion and the Coca-Cola Foundation, the bank has reviewed its products and culture, while working with Value for Women to implement a gender action plan. These efforts are aligned with the Bank of Ghana’s sustainability principles and Fidelity’s commitment to the United Nations Global Compact. ‘We don’t just champion inclusion externally – we’re embedding it within our own organisation,’ Mr Boateng affirmed. ‘Our goal is to set the standard for gender equality in Ghana’s financial sector.’
Fidelity Bank’s interventions demonstrate how targeted financing, meaningful partnerships and a commitment to inclusive growth can transform Ghana’s entrepreneurial landscape.